And fans were in for a huge surprise at the end of the show - when Take That emerged onto stage after the standing ovation for the cast of their new musical.

They launched into their 1993 mega-hit Relight My Fire to huge cheers from fans in the audience.

Lulu joins Take That on stage at the finale of The Band

Then Scottish superstar Lulu strutted onto stage to belt out her famous section of the chart-topping song wearing a fabulous lilac faux fur-trimmed coat and sunglasses - and near took the roof off the Opera House with the screams from fans.

The musical became the fastest selling show in British history when it went on sale in April and stars Five to Five, the boyband forged on BBC talent show Let it Shine.

A host of stars were in the audience for the opening night, including BBC star Graham Norton who hosted Let It Shine and Corrie's Lisa George, Nicola Thorp and Jennie McAlpine and Hollyoaks stars Gary Lucy and Ashley Taylor-Dawson.

BBC star Graham said: "I loved it, it's heart-breaking, heart-soaring it's absolutely fabulous. It's everything you want it to be and deserves to be a big hit. What I love about it is that it really speaks to the fans, to the people who have loved Take That over the years. It's special.

"Don't wonder what it's like just go and see it."

Lulu and Graham Norton at The Band musical launch (Image: Manchester Evening News)

The Band stars Five to Five who were recruited on the Let It Shine talent show, so how did Graham think they did?

Graham said: "What's great is that the audience knew them, and that gave the story credibility, people loved those boys, they got a huge cheer when they came out."